Man United is calculating very carefully in the summer 2026 transfer market. The team's failure to pursue any hot contracts in this summer's market is in line with INEOS's strategy with Sir Jim Ratcliffe as head.
Michael Carrick is experiencing his first transfer season with Man United and it is quieter than a year ago when the team was under Ruben Amorim's leadership. Compared to the team's standards in previous player markets, this time is rated much more modestly. Not because the team lowered the standards, everyone just wants to go in a different direction that is considered more sustainable.
Besides well-known young talents such as JJ Gabriel, Shea Lacey..., the team has also just welcomed Tynan Thompson and Cristian Orozco. Sir Jim Ratcliffe's point of view is very clear, he will prioritize 3 targets in each transfer window including: young talents of the academy, potential young stars in the market and those who have played well in the Premier League.
The recruitment of Orozco, Thompson and Santos is the trend Sir Jim wants Man United to follow. With Santos, he is expected to become a key factor under Carrick next season. Not only that, the Brazilian international still has a lot of time to develop before reaching the peak of his career, promising to be a future pillar of the team.
The cost for Man United to recruit the pair Orozco and Thompson is only 13 million pounds. This is too little money compared to the team's annual spending on player purchases. However, Sir Jim hopes this will be savings and can develop well in the future. This view has been emphasized by the British billionaire in the podcast "The Geraint Thomas Cycling Club" recently.
"Buying Kylian Mbappe is a way anyone can think of to hopefully bring success to the team. The challenge now is to find a new Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham or Roy Keane for the team.
Look at the 1992 generation or like Cristiano Ronaldo, he came to the team at the age of 18. Our solution is not to spend money to buy world-class stars. The team has been doing this for more than 10 years, everything must be different now.
The first thing we need to do is to arrange the right people in the right positions in the club's organizational structure. Only then can the transfer work be carried out effectively. Recruiting the right personnel is an extremely important factor for a football club today.
Last season, INEOS set a transfer criterion of focusing on stars aged 25 and under. However, if you keep the same view and do not change, it will be considered conservative. The leadership needs to flexibly change to adapt to the market. That is why Man United just recruited Youri Tielemans, who is 29 years old this year.
Signing the Belgian national team captain may go against the above criteria, but the former Aston Villa star possesses many qualities Sir Jim once admitted that the team is lacking. His ability to pass the ball and regulate the pace of the match will bring Man United control in midfield, something they have lacked for many years.
Not only that, Sir Jim always longed for the team to have a version like Paul Scholes in the past. He believes that Tielemans is that model.
I will bring another Paul Scholes here, that is the type of player the team is most lacking. The team does not have Roy Keane but owns Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo, who are more defensive" - Sir Jim shared.
